MicroRNA targets have shown enormous potential for understanding, diagnosing, and even treating the world's most prevalent diseases including cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes and many more. Unfortunately, miRNAs are particularly challenging to quantify due to their small size, sequence homology, and wide range of abundance. As such, miRNA profiling is either expensive or low-throughput using today's state-of-the art technologies. To overcome these limitations, a new multiplexing technology built on encoded hydrogel microparticles will be developed for miRNA profiling. Preliminary results suggest that this technology will provide high sensitivity, single-nucleotide specificity, and rapid analysis. The specific aims for Phase I of this project are to (1) develop and assess target labeling schemes for high-performance detection, (2) perform multiplexed miRNA profiling over a diverse set of targets, and (3) demonstrate predictive expression profiling for cancer detection in human-derived samples. This project could have implications in cancer research, drug discovery, and cancer diagnostics. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The aim of this project is to develop a technology capable of profiling across all human microRNA in a manner that is accurate, rapid, and inexpensive. This tool will be enabling for cancer research, drug discovery, and cancer diagnostics.